Four
by goanywhere
Summary: Veronica Roth's Divergent in Four's point of view. I'm trying to stick to Roth's dialogue, but add in my own scenes and thoughts that include Four. Let's hope it goes well. My first time publishing something I've written. Original or fanfiction. Enjoy.
1. Un

Hi. This is my first story I've ever put out to the semi-public. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes; I kind of suck at catching any errors. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. Review. Critique. Say hello? Ahaha. Yeah.

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><p>Today was the day of the Choosing Ceremony, the day when every sixteen year old in Candor would decide what to do with his or her life. Each teen would have chosen from five factions, most likely basing their decision on the aptitude tests from the day before. Each could choose Candor, the honest, Amity, the friendly, Erudite, the knowledgeable, Abnegation, the selfless, or Dauntless, the brave, my faction.<p>

This time last year, I was watching the Ceremony from the control room, but this year I had to prepare for the new initiates. I spent the last few weeks avoiding Max and his constant attempts to make me a Dauntless leader. It just wasn't something that I was interested in, but somehow, in the midst of all of it, Eric had assigned me to be in charge of transfer initiates and their training. This I didn't mind so much, training was my kind of job. Something I would most likely enjoy doing.

"Who do you think the first jumper will be?" Lauren said from besides me. We were standing beneath the members' entrance, waiting for the first person willing to jump off a building, not knowing what to expect when they did. Of course, it's not like we let them fall to their deaths. There was a net waiting for them at the bottom.

"Either a Dauntless-born or Erudite," I answered, crossing my arms. She and I were standing beside the net, waiting to help the jumpers from the net. Other Dauntless members stood hidden in the shadows, waiting.

"Someone who knows the place or someone who knows that this whole thing is just another test. Smart," Lauren said back. I chuckled lightly. "Either way, my money's on Dauntless-born."

"We'll see soon enough," I said, seeing a shadow appear on the ledge above us.

The jumper made no sound on the way down, just the normal body hitting net sound. She sat up, struggling to get off of the net. I made my way to her, along with a couple other people, offering a hand. The girl grabbed it and rolled off the net, almost crashing into the floor. Luckily, I caught her before she could. When she finally stood upright, I let go of her arms.

"Thank you," she said.

"Can't believe it," Lauren said from behind me. "A Stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of." It was at her words that I actually took note of the girl before me. She wore a gray T-shirt, the kind Abnegation wore under their normal shirts. I was surprised, but I didn't let it show.

"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren," I replied, turning back to the Stiff. "What's your name?"

"Um..." she hesitated as if unsure of what to say.

"Think about it," I said, my lip curling into a faint smile. "You don't get to pick again." She contemplated again. I could see the wheels in her head turning.

"Tris," she finally chose. She spoke firmly.

"Tris," Lauren repeated her with a grin. "Make the announcement, Four," she told me.

I looked over my shoulder to the group in the shadows, "First jumper—Tris!" I yelled back.

All the Dauntless that stood behind me appeared from their spots in the shadows. They cheered and pumped their fists. Another person dropped into the net at the same moment, her screams following her all the way down. Everyone laughed, but cheered anyways. I turned my attention back to Tris, placing a hand on her back.

"Welcome to Dauntless," I say.


	2. Deux

_So, hello there. I'm here to apologize belatedly and in advance about any changes in tense. I usually write in past tense, but as I noticed as I was editing this chapter, for some reason, I started writing in present tense. I tried to catch it as much as I could, but if you see any mistakes, I'm not perfect. I'm not exactly good at keeping the same tense in the first place since I just write and what comes out, comes out. Also, sorry if there are any grammatical errors. Either I didn't catch it or I don't know if it's wrong. Ahaha...well, enjoy._

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><p>There were nine transfers this year, less than what was expected. When the last person jumped, Lauren and I led the initiates away from the net. I walked down the familiar stone tunnel. It was a bit like walking down into a cave, going deeper and deeper. Actually, that's exactly what it was like. I knew the place like the back of my hand. Lauren and I stopped in the tunnel. I smirked when a few people crashed into each other. Oh, well.<p>

"This is where we divide," Lauren said from besides me. "The Dauntless-born initiates are with me. I assume _you_ don't need a tour of the place."

From the corner of my eye, I could see her smile and beckon to the Dauntless-born initiates in the group. They all disappeared into the shadows. I returned my gaze to my initiates. The majority were Candor and Erudite. Only one was Abnegation, which was still surprising and there was no one from Amity. No surprise there.

"Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor," I told them, getting straight to the point. "My name is Four," I told them. I wasn't exactly fond of the name, but I didn't know if I wanted anyone to know my real name. Yet.

"Four? Like the number?" Someone asked, one of the Candor transfers.

"Yes," I answered. "Is there a problem?" I knew that I could be intimidating when I wanted to be.

"No," was the answer I got.

"Good. We're about to go into the Pit, which you will someday learn to love. It—"

The same girl snickered. "The Pit? Clever name."

She was really starting to get on my nerves. I walked up to the girl with short hair and leaned in close. I stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"What's your name?" I asked her quietly.

"Christina," she answered with a squeak.

"Well, Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," I practically hissed. My tolerance level wasn't very high. "The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got that?"

She nodded.

I continued forward down the tunnel and into darkness, knowing that the initiates would follow. I led them through the double doors and into the Pit. It was a large underground cavern that was several stories high. Previous generations built places for food, clothes, and other things within the stone. Leading to each of the places, there was a narrow path and being Dauntless, there were no rails to keep people from falling.

The ceiling of the Pit was made of glass panes, letting light into the cavern. From the outside, it would look like just another building. No one would suspect that underneath the building was the headquarters to the Dauntless faction. When the sunlight dimmed, blue lanterns placed randomly around the Pit grew brighter.

As always, people were milling about, talking and shouting. Everyone was wearing black, the color of Dauntless. The initiates looked around. The Abnegation transfer was looking up at one of the narrow paths where some kids were running. She looked liked she wanted to just scream at them for a moment then, a look of something else, an emotion I couldn't decipher, flashed across her face.

"If you follow me," I started, "I'll show you the chasm."

I waved the group towards me then turned around and led them to a darker side of the Pit. There had always been an iron barrier around the chasm that kept people from falling into the water. It was a scary destination, even for the Dauntless, but I had always found the roaring waters to be oddly comforting. The sound was almost peaceful, but if someone was to fall into the chasm, they wouldn't live to tell the tale.

The drop into the river is a few stories down. A few of the initiates walked up to the rail, watching the water hit the rocks. The left side of the river was a bit calmer, but on the right, the river's water was constantly beating against the rock. It's what made the chasm so dangerous.

"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" I had to shout to be heard over the rushing sounds of water. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."

After a few more minutes, I led the group to the well-lit dining hall. The place was crowded and clattering silverware could be heard along with constant conversation. As the initiates entered, everyone stood to applaud. A bit of a tradition. They shouted, clapped their hands, and stomped their feet. A few of the transfers smiled at the greeting.

I found a seat near the side of the room. Tris and Christina seated besides me. There were hamburgers for dinner. I watched as Tris pinched a burger between her fingers, a bit confused. I laughed internally before nudging her with my elbow.

"It's beef," I told her. "Put this on it," I said as I handed her a bowl of ketchup. She gave me a skeptic look.

"You've never had a hamburger before?" Christina said, her eyes wide.

"No," Tris replied. "Is that what it's called?"

"Stiffs eat plain food," I told Christina with a nod. I knew a lot about the Abnegation faction and I have also had enough chicken and peas to last a lifetime, but they didn't need to know that. I took a bite of my burger.

"Why?" Christina asked Tris who shrugged in return.

"Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary," Tris answered, taking a cautious bite of her hamburger. She didn't spit it out so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

Christina smirked. "No wonder you left."

"Yeah," Tris said as she rolled her eyes. "It was just because of the food."

I attempted to contain my smile, but the corners of my mouth twitched.

The cafeteria fell hush as the doors opened. It was Eric, it was always Eric. His footsteps could be heard throughout the large room. I could see as Tris carefully observed him. Eric had more piercings than anyone could count with long, dark, greasy hair. It was like he went weeks without washing it. I was used to seeing it.

"Who's that?" Christina hissed.

"His name is Eric," I said coldly. "He's a Dauntless leader."

"Seriously? But he's so young."

I shot her a grave look. "Age doesn't matter here."

Age didn't matter, but skill did. Skill was the only thing that mattered in Dauntless. A few years ago, other things might have been important, but now, not so much.

I heard Eric's footsteps heading toward my table. _Great_, I thought to myself. A few seconds later, Eric dropped into the open seat next to me. As usual, there was no greeting. Not that I cared.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" He asked, nodding towards the girls besides me.

I said, "This is Tris and Christina."

"Ooh, a Stiff," Eric said, smirking at Tris. She winced. Something in me wanted to ask her why. "We'll see how long you last." Tris looked as if she was struggling with her words, but in the end, she remained silent.

Eric tapped his fingers against the table; his knuckles were scabbed over. I wondered what he hit this time. I continued eating my dinner, not paying full attention to their interaction.

"What have you been doing lately, Four?" Eric asked, turning to me.

I lifted my shoulder, half shrugging. "Nothing, really," I answered.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Tris look between Eric and me. My muscles were tense, like they were whenever I was around Eric. I always had to be on lookout around him. He was definitely not someone I trusted. I never have in the last two years and I didn't plan on trusting him either.

"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up," Eric said. "He requested that I find out what's going on with you."

I looked at Eric's pierced face for a few seconds before I said, "Tell him that I am satisfied with the position I currently hold."

"So he wants to give you a job," he stated. I could hear the anger and jealousy in his voice.

"So it would seem," I said. Max had been trying to get me working under him for a while. He wanted the best and the best wasn't Eric.

"And you aren't interested," Eric said. It wasn't a question.

"I haven't been interested for two years."

"Well," he started. "Let's hope he gets the point, then." By that, Eric was saying _he_ hoped that Max got the point. I didn't really mind. Avoiding Max was easy. Eric was scared that I would say yes to Max because it would mean he would probably be out of the job. Lucky for him, I didn't want what Max was offering. I liked my job in the control room.

Eric clapped me hard on the shoulder, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction by giving a reaction. He got up and walked away. I could see Tris relax besides me.

"Are you two...friends?" She asked. She was curious for someone who had come from Abnegation.

"We were in the same initiate class," I answered. We were definitely not friends. "He transferred from Erudite."

"Were you a transfer too?" She continued. This girl did not know when to shut up.

"I thought I would only have trouble with the Candor asking too many questions," I said coldly. "Now I've got Stiffs, too?" I didn't need people asking questions about my past.

"It must be because you're so approachable," she said in a flat tone. "You know. Like a bed of nails." Sarcasm, from a Stiff. Odd.

I stared at her, but she didn't look away. It was as if she was trying to tell me that she wasn't willing to submit. She looked straight into my eyes, blushing a few seconds after.

"Careful, Tris," I warned her.

Someone from another table called my name and I walked away.

That girl was going to cause some trouble, I thought to myself.

After dinner and my brief conversation with Zeke and Shauna, I went back to my room. I laid in my bed, staring at the words painted on the white wall. Fear God Alone. Right now, Eric was probably walking the transfers to their new dorm as he told them about their training that he would be overseeing.

I wasn't happy about his role in training, but I had no say in the matter. Eric had power over me and he never let me forget it.

A few hours later, I exited my room, knowing that not many people would be milling about the compound. It was late and even the Dauntless needed to sleep. I made my way into the Pit and found the trail that led to the river. The path was well hidden between the rocks. No one would find it unless they were paying close attention. I sat on the familiar stone and stared out into the water. My arms rested on my knees as I closed my eyes.

_"Tobias, get down here!" My father yelled. He was mad. I leaped out of my desk chair and shot downstairs, not wanting to make him any madder. I almost crashed into my father who was standing at the foot of the stairs. His face was red with anger._

_ "Yes, F-father?" I said, my voice shaking. I was terrified._

_ "Why is the wall panel open?" He yelled slashed asked as he pointed to the sliding wood door that revealed a sliver of mirror. _

_ "I—I w-wanted to s-see," I stuttered out._

_ "Come here," Marcus said, his voice deathly calm. He grabbed my arm, roughly. There would be a bruise tomorrow, there always was. He dragged me into his room, taking his belt off the wall. _The _belt._

_ "This is for your own good," he said. A blank expression on his face. I cowered away from him, sagging in defeat when my back hit the bed. He yanked back his arm, sending the belt over his shoulder. I shrank back, using my arm to guard my face. The belt hit my elbow and I cried out in pain. He pulled back and hit me again. And again. And again. When he finished, my arms were hot with pain._

_ "Come," he said when he replaced his belt. He grabbed my arm again and I tried to keep the gasp of pain silent. He pulled me upstairs and tossed me into the closet. When the door closed and the darkness engulfed me, I sank to the floor. I broke out in sobs, trying to ignore the pain._

I opened my eyes, terrified. I still felt the phantom pain on my arms and body. The only thing that calmed me was the sound of the river before me, that and know that I would not be seeing my father again any time soon. I let out a shaky breath, letting my eyes readjust to the darkness of the chasm.

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><p><em>Well, hello again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review. Criticize. Add in input. Send messages and alerts to my inbox. It would make me happy. I do accept criticism as well as make-me-happy reviews. Do whatever you please.<em>

_I'll just stop talking...writing now._

:)


	3. Trois

_Hello, my lovelies. Here's chapter three. I'm sorry if it's a bit boring, I didn't know how to handle this chapter. As always, sorry for any mistakes. I hope that you all enjoy._

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><p>At exactly 7:59 AM, I walked into the training room, all nine transfers already present. At least, they were present physically; mentally, I wasn't so sure. They were all yawning, even after their short run. A few looked as if they were trying to fall back asleep while standing on their feet.<p>

"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun. The second thing is how to win a fight," I told them as I pressed a gun into each of the initiates' hands. "Thankfully, if you are here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that."

I stood before the group.

"Initiation is divided into three stages," I started, "We will measure your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it is possible, though difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time."

The group stared at me like I was crazy. A few stared at the guns as if they were going to explode in their hands. Guns were dangerous, but usually not for the holder.

"We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice," I went on. "Therefore each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily physical; the second, primarily emotional; the third, primarily mental."

"But what..." Peter yawned as he spoke. "What does firing a gun have to do with...bravery?" He asked with another yawn.

I walked up to Peter. Flipping the gun that I had in my hand, I pressed the barrel to the boy's forehead and clicked a bullet into place. He stopped dead in the middle of a yawn.

"Wake. Up," I snapped at him. Guns were not to be messed with, ever. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot," I told him coldly. "Act like it."

I lowered the gun and once Peter realized that I wasn't going to shoot in pointblank, his green eyes hardened. Glad that the message got through his thick skull. He didn't respond, even though it was the Candor way. Good thing that message got through as well. I smirked as his cheeks redden.

"And to answer your question...you are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you're prepared to defend yourself." When I reached the end of the line, I stopped and turned on my heel. "This is also information you may need later in stage on. So, watch me."

I turned towards the wall that was lined with targets. Standing with my feet apart for balance, I held the gun between two hands and fired. A few of the initiates jumped at the bang that I was so used to. I knew that it hit the center; it was where I was aiming. I stepped away from the targets, motioning to the initiates to begin. I carefully observed each of them, taking careful notice of Tris as I leaned against the wall.

Abnegation would never approve of someone firing a gun. She stood with her feet shoulder length apart and held the gun loosely and as far away from her body as possible. She squeezed the trigger and cringed away from the gun. The bullet didn't hit anywhere near the target. Her actions reminded me a bit of how I first acted when I held a gun. Although, I didn't miss as many times as she did.

I continued to watch the initiates. Some were better than the rest and some just sucked. The Erudite, Will, was poking fun at Tris' aiming skills bringing probability into the conversation. With one more shot, Tris actually hit the target. Not the actual target though, just the edge of the plywood. In any case, she smiled.

After a while, I released the group to lunch. I followed behind them as we went to the dining hall. Zeke and Shauna waved me over the moment I walked in. They were sitting among some of the other members from the initiate class two years ago.

"Hey, Four," Zeke said as I plopped down next to him and started putting food on my plate.

"What's up?" I asked in reply.

"Are the transfers any good?" Shauna asked before sticking a fry in her mouth.

"I'll let you know when I find out for myself," I answered. For now, I didn't know what to think of the group. It would be easier when I've seen how they all fought. After lunch I led the group to the fighting room. It was a giant room that had a wooden floor. A large white circle was in the middle. On the left wall was a chalkboard had all the their names written on it. When one-on-one fights started, each of them would be paired with another. At the rear of the room hung black punching bags that were faded from excessive use. The transfers lined up behind them as I took root in the middle.

"As I said this morning, next you will learn how to fight. The purpose of this is to prepare you to act; to prepare your body to respond to threats and challenges—which you will need, if you intend to survive life as a Dauntless," I informed them. Truthfully, I didn't agree with this. A few years ago, fighting wouldn't have been this important, but things had changed after the shift in Dauntless leaders.

"We will go over technique today, and tomorrow you will start to fight each other," I said. "So I recommend that you pay attention. Those who don't learn fast will get hurt."

I went on, naming a few different punches as I demonstrated each of them. The first time, punching the air; the second using the punching bag that stood before me.

When I finished showing them the basics, they attempted to do them themselves. Edward and Peter seemed the most comfortable. I wandered through the crowd, carefully taking note of everyone's stances, kicks and punches. I stopped in front of Tris, watching her body from head to toe.

"You don't have much muscle," I told her, "which means you're better off using your knees and elbows. You can put more power behind them." The girl was skin and bone. She would need the power if she was going to beat anyone.

I pressed my hand to her stomach.

"Never forget to keep tension here," I said quietly. I removed my hand and walked away. The group kept practicing until I dismissed them for dinner. I watched as they left the group. Christina walked next to Tris who looked over her shoulder to me before quickly turning back. When the room was cleared, I turned off the lights and made my way to the dining hall.

_I stood in at the back of the group, curiously watching Sullivan, the trainer of the transfer initiates. He was holding a gun, showing us how to properly hold and shoot a gun. I pulled on the hem of my black shirt, the newest in my wardrobe. Sullivan told us to get to practice. Gun held loosely in hand, I made my way to the last open target between a girl who I didn't know the name of and Eric, a transfer from Erudite._

_ Both of my hands were on the handle of the metal contraption. I did my best to imitate Sullivan's stance and fired. The bullet didn't hit anywhere near the target._

_ "You need to spread your feet a little bit more," Eric's voice said from besides me. He smiled. "It'd also help if you held the gun tighter." I looked at his target that had holes in the outer rings of the target._

_ "Thank you," I said quietly. I moved my feet so they were a few inches farther apart. I shook my head, clearing it and gripped the gun tightly. I pulled the trigger and watched as a hole appeared in the plywood. A feeling of satisfaction ran through me._

_ "Good job," Eric said, smiling. "I'm Eric."_

"Four!" Shauna said yelled as she poked me in the shoulder, knocking me out of my reverie. "Earth to Four, anybody in there?"

I shook my head, forcing the memory back. That was back when Eric seemed like a decent person. I learned that he was actually a conniving little rat. The same one that he was today.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, looking towards Zeke and Shauna.

"I said Eric's walking over," Shauna said, using her head to point behind me. I turned and there was Eric making his way through the masses towards our table.

"Four," he started the moment he was in earshot. "I'm going to be sitting in on the one-on-one fights tomorrow. Just to make sure you're not too easy on them."

"Whatever you want," I told him. In the past two years, I've learned the best thing to do was just agree. With me, Eric would just pull the power card. He nodded and walked away. I let my head fall onto the table. Eric wore me out.

"Can you please remind me why you let that asshole become leader?" Zeke asked brusquely.

"I'm not the type of person you want as a leader," I mumbled into the table. "I come with too much baggage." Abruptly, I lifted my head off the table.

"What baggage, Mr. I-Only-Have-Four-Fears?" Zeke asked.

"Too much for you to handle," I replied. Leaving it at that. I stood from the table. "I'll see you guys later. I have to figure out who's fighting who tomorrow and check some stuff in control."

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><p><em>Okay, well, I would like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that people actually read and enjoy (hopefully) my story in Four's point of view. <em>

_You should all keep reviewing and make me happy._

_Again, hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions, message me. I will reply to each one personally. I always do. _

_Bye!_


	4. Quatre

_So here is Chapter Four (ahahaa...Four. Get it? Sorry, I'm lame). I'm sorry if it's a bit on the short side. I didn't want to drag the chapter on with less than relevant stuff. I did not realize how difficult if was to make up things for Four/Tobias to do. Well, I hope you enjoy._

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><p>The training room was still empty when I walked in ten minutes before eight. I grabbed a piece of chalk and walked over to the chalkboard, pairing the initiates up to fight. Since there were nine of them, I decided yesterday that Tris would be the one to sit out. She wasn't ready to fight yet. I stood with my back to the board as initiates started making their way in.<p>

"Since there are an odd number of you, one of you won't be fighting today," I told the group when they lined up. I shot a look at Tris, noticing as she let out a breath.

Christina elbowed the blonde in the ribs and she winced. I looked around the room. Peter, Molly, and Drew were huddled together, like always. The latter two needed to grow some spines. They followed Peter around like he was the king on the world. And Peter, he needed to be knocked down a few...hundred pegs.

Albert and William were already in the arena, circling each other with their arms protecting their faces. Good, they paid attention. The fight wouldn't last long, Albert was twice the size Will was. Eric was standing next to me, smirking when as Al punched Will in the jaw. He was messing with one of the piercing in his eyebrow. It annoyed me when he did that.

I watched as Will stumbled from the force of the punch, his hand holding his jaw. Al punched again causing Will to grimace meaning the second punch hurt just as much as the first. When Will finally got a grasp of his surroundings, he hooked his foot around Al's leg and yanked, making him fall to the ground. Al scrambled to his feet. The two faced each other in a hesitant way. Will moved his blonde hair away from his eyes. The two looked at me as if I would call off the fight, but I just stood there, arms crossed. From the corner of my eye, I say Eric look at his watch, getting impatient.

"Do you think this is a leisure activity? Should we break for nap time? Fight each other!" He shouted. I remained silent.

"But..." Al said, straightening his body, letting his hands fall. "Is it scored or something? When does the fight end?" He asked. I could see that he didn't want to fight anymore.

"It ends when one of you is unable to continue," Eric said.

"According to Dauntless rules," I said, "one of you could also concede."

Eric glared at me. "According to the _old_ rules," he corrected me. "In the _new _rules, no one concedes." New rule this, new rule that. I wanted to punch him. Dauntless was never like this before. Before there was more than one meaning of strength and bravery.

"A brave man acknowledges the strength of others," I pointed out, knowing it would only piss Eric off more than he already was. He was a stickler for the new Dauntless.

"A brave man never surrenders," he said curtly. The two of us glare at each other for a few seconds. Eric has been ruthless ever since he took the job as leader. He never let me forget that he was the one with the authority, not me. I turned back to the arena.

"This is ridiculous," Al said, shaking his head. This wasn't going to go over well with Eric. "What's the point

of beating him up? We're in the same faction."

"Oh, you think it's going to be that easy?" Will asked, taunting him. He was grinning. "Go on. Try to him me, slowpoke."

He put is hands up again to protect his face. There was a new determination in his eyes that wasn't there before. Like he actually had a chance of winning now. There was a slim chance. Al tries to punch Will who just ducked. He evaded another of Al's punches and kicked him in the back, hard. In response, Al turned and charged at Will like a bull. He grabbed Will's arm and punched him hard in the jaw.

Will goes slack, the light that was in his eyes before was no longer there. He fell from Al's arms to the floor. Al crouched down next to Will, his eyes wide in shock. Silence covered the room as everyone watched Will. He remained in the awkward position, one arm under him. He blinked, confused and dazed.

"Get him up," Eric said when he saw that Will wasn't dead. He stared at Will as if he was a piece of meat. His lips curled up cruelly.

I went towards the chalkboard and circled Al's name on the board making his victory.

"Next up—Molly and Christina!" Eric shouted as Al pulled Will's arms over his shoulder and dragged him out of the arena. I quickly look towards Christina who cracked her knuckles in preparation before I took Will from Al. He needed to get checked out to make sure there was no chance of a concussion. I didn't like leaving the initiates with Eric, but I knew he wouldn't be willing to bring Will to the infirmary.

Will mumbled incoherently as I made my way the Dauntless infirmary which was basically a lot of sickbeds in a room with Dauntless nurses and doctors. I set Will on the closest unoccupied bed.

"What happened to him?" Tia, one of the nurses asked.

"One-on-one fighting started today," I told her. She had more piercings than the last time I was here. A new cartilage piercing in her ear I believed.

"Ah, the first victim," she replied.

"Ow," Will said. "Hurt." I chuckled a bit.

"Well, I leave him in your able hands," I told Tia. She nodded and I made my exit. I decided that the initiates could handle Eric for the rest of day so I went back to the control room to make sure everything was going okay. It felt a bit odd working with people rather than computers.

Holt nodded to me when I walked into the control room. He was watching the screen that showed the training room. Molly was fighting Christina who was curled up on the floor. I turned away, heading to my desk. I wanted to check the initiate aptitude tests. I did it last year, not finding anything interesting, but I felt that this year something would catch my eye. I didn't know why, but I felt the need to check the results.

I turned on my computer, glad for the familiar hum of it. I quickly opened the initiate folders, first checking the Dauntless-born. Nothing out of the blue. I went through the transfer results. Everything was in order aside from Tris. Her results were inputted by hand, something that rarely happened. That meant that something had to have gone wrong. I looked at the test administrator that gave Tris her aptitude test. Tori. I shut down my computer and went towards the Pit.

Tori was in the middle of giving someone's tattoo so I sat down on the bench with one of the tattoo books. It's been a while since I've gotten a new tattoo, but I really didn't think I needed any others for now. I flipped through pages of the book, looking at tribal symbols and dragons to keep busy until Tori was done.

"Did you need something, Four?" Tori said, drying her hands with a paper towel.

I put the book down. "I need to talk to you about one of the initiates." I guess she saw a look in my eyes that said it was urgent because she waved me to the back of the parlor. "What was Beatrice Prior's test result?" I asked bluntly.

"Abnegation," she told me. "You should know that, Four. You have access to the files."

"I do have access," I replied. "And you know what else the file said? That the results had to be inputted manually." I stared Tori down, hoping that she would give me a straight answer.

"Which is true," Tori confirmed. "Something went wrong with the program."

"Tori, the chances of the simulation system having a flaw is one in a million."

"Well, it looks like the quota has been filled for a while."

"Tori!"

"Four!" She sighed. "I'm not allowed to reveal test results. You know that."

"Fine," I said, walking out of the room.

"Fou—"

Eric was fuming when I ran into him in the Pit. I swore there was fire in his dark eyes.

"Did you do the fighting assignments for tomorrow yet?" He asked, practically spitting in my face.

"I haven't had the chance," I said. "I was going to do it tomorrow."

"I'll do it," he said urgently.

"Sure?" He stalked away before I could say anything else. That was...odd.

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><p><em>You know what you should do? Yup, that's right, review. <em>

_And I just want to thank everyone who read, alerted, reviewed, and favorited this story. You have no idea how good it feels to have people actually read this story and actually like it enough to let me know. Those emails make me happy._

_Now, I'm out. Bye. *insert waving here*_


	5. Cinq

_Ah, hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it? I am so very sorry that I've taken like...three weeks to update. I've been so busy with school and college applications and stuff. It's been killer. Homecoming week at my school was last weekend and I'm so glad that's over. My stress level was 4398532. Well, here's chapter five. My shortest chapter ever. It gets a bit filler-ish in some places. Sorry again... Well, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy._

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><p>It was a bad idea to let Eric choose the pairing for today's fights. A very bad idea. He had paired the Stiff with Peter, the Candor transfer. I watched the videos of yesterday's fighting and Peter was one of the top fighters in the bunch. Tris wouldn't last two seconds in a fight with him.<p>

The doors to the training room swing open and the transfers walk in. I lean against the wall as everyone looks at the chalkboard to see who they will be fighting. Inconspicuously, I had my eye on Tris who stops mid-step. She sees the board and knows that she has no chance to beat Peter either.

Christina, who looks beat up, speaks to a mortified-looking Tris. Al walks up behind the two of them and joins into their conversation. Everyone gathers around as the fight between Molly and Edward begins. Eric chooses that moment to walk into the room. I ignore him and focused on the fight before me. From what I saw yesterday, Molly and Edward are both good fighters, but Edward has the upper hand. He is quicker and more nimble than Molly. By the end of the fight, Molly is peeling herself from the ground.

I watch as Tris makes her way to the center of the arena, my arms folded. Peter walks towards her, smiling maniacally. I want to smack that look off his face. Something in me wants to intervene, to stop the fight, to protect Tris, but I can't. Eric is standing besides me, tapping his foot incessantly. Even from my spot by the door, I can vaguely hear what Peter was saying to Tris.

"You okay there, Stiff?" He asks. "You look like you're about to cry. I might go easy on you if you cry," he continues. This kid needs his ego deflated. I blow out a breath, controlling my anger.

Peter suddenly moves his hands to his face, knees bending like a cat ready to spring.

"Come on, Stiff," he says. I can see maliciousness in his eyes. "Just one little tear. Maybe some begging." This boy is getting on my nerves.

Tris attempts to kick Peter in the side, but Peter retaliates by grabbing hold of her foot, knocking her onto the floor. She quickly scrambles up.

"Stop playing with her," Eric snaps. "I don't have all day."

Peter punches Tris in the face before she even had a chance to blink. I watch as she sways on her feet, moving towards the edge of the arena. Peter moves after her, kicking her in the stomach. I flinch. Tris doesn't move from the floor until Peter grabs her blond hair and punches her in the nose. She feebly tries to push Peter off, but Peter just punches her again, this time in the ribs. Blood is streaming from her nose.

He shoves her to the ground. Tris is sluggish, blinking as if she didn't know where she was. Peter grabs her and spins her around, hitting her in the side again.

Tris weakly punches Peter who barely makes a noise. Instead, he smacks Tris' ear, laughing. She blinks.

I can't take it anymore. I push off the wall and shove the door open, storming out. Watching Peter beat the crap out of Tris makes me want to beat the crap out of him. I feel the need to protect Tris. The infirmary was my next destination. I know that someone has to bring Tris to the infirmary sooner or later.

"Four, what are you doing here?" Tia asks when I walk into the infirmary. "Do you need something?"

"No, I'm just waiting," I tell her.

"For anything in particular?"

"Someone," I say, not realizing that I am until I actually say it out loud. What was going on with me?

Tia smiles, "Someone?" I just nod, feeling the heat rush to my face. I shrug and lean against one of the hospital beds. Just then, the infirmary doors open and Edward walks in, carrying Tris under her neck and knees. There is a tiny spurt of jealousy in my gut that I try to shake off.

"Excuse me?" Edward says. Tia attends to him as I stay on the bed. I watch as Edward lays Tris on the bed closest to him and leave. When he does, I edge closer to Tia and Tris. The former working on wiping the blood from Tris' face. Her eye is already swollen. I watch as Tia examines her latest patient. The dark purple, almost black bruise on her waist was the hardest to look at.

"Christina, are you sure you're okay?" I hear Will from behind the door.

"I'll see you around, Tia," I tell her. She acknowledges me with a nod and I make my way out the side door, not wanting to run into Will, Christian, and Al.

I end up in the training room with Shauna and Zeke. A gun is in each of our hands. Shauna and Zeke take the first two shots and I shoot last. We have a bet seeing who will be able to hit closest to the bull's eye. Loser has to get a tattoo of the winner's choice. A small punishment compared cleaning all the bathrooms or something.

Zeke hit the second ring in, which is better than Shauna's hit to the outer ring. Neither shot can stand up to my bull's eye. The bullet went through, dead center like I had planned it to. Although, when I took the shot, I wasn't seeing the bull's eye, but the space between someone's eyes.

"I don't know why we even try anymore," Shauna says. My lips twitch. "Four never misses."

"I wouldn't play if I did," I tell her.

"Cocky much?" Zeke asks.

"I'm not the one with the 'I love kitties' tattoo," I retort.

"Touché, Four," Shauna says. "Let's head to the tattoo parlor. I want to catch Bud before he heads to lunch. I need him to touch up the ivy on my back anyways."

The three of us walk towards the tattoo shop, Shauna drags me ahead, leaving Zeke trailing behind. I casually try to escape the arm that she has around my waist. It's pointless since I can't do so without making it look obvious. When Shauna releases me as we reach the parlor, I feel relief.

"Choose my new tattoo while I get my old one patched up," she directs at me. I nod, already looking at the designs drawn onto the wall.

Zeke taps me on the shoulder and points to something to my left. I see it and nod. It was the perfect punishment tattoo for Shauna. I don't know why I haven't thought of it before, a memory of fear as well as a token of achievement. Like the hawk tattoo that Tori has. I catch Bud's eye, pointing the to black widow tattoo that Zeke showed me. He nods in understanding.

I take my leave at that moment. My presence is no longer necessary. Zeke follows me to the dining room. We take our seats at our normal table, next to the other Dauntless that were initiates the same year as we were. I acknowledge Lauren and the others with a quick head nod. I choose some food to put on my plate: chicken, bread, and peas. It is only after the first few bites that I realize it would be the type of meal eaten in Abnegation. I shake the thought from my head. I left Abnegation long ago and bringing my former faction up was no use to me. Faction before blood.

Tia gives me a smile from behind her desk as I enter the infirmary. I want to check on Tris before I finalize tomorrow's trip to the fence.

"How is she?" I ask Tia.

"A lot of bumps and bruises, but nothing really serious," Tia told me. "She'll be sore tomorrow though."

"Thanks," I reply, walking to Tris' bed. Her face is badly bruised and I can't resist the urge to touch her, so I run my fingers gently down her face, feeling an odd sensation in my fingers. I lift my fingers away. What was this girl doing to me? I ask myself as head towards the door. I needed out of the infirmary.

I never liked hospitals. Too many memories. Every time I enter the Dauntless infirmary, I remember the numerous times I ended up in the hospital from my father's beatings. He would always say that I fell or ran into something. The doctors and nurses would always look the other way. Marcus was an Abnegation leader after all, he would never hurt his son. Of course a tumble down stairs could leave strips of red across skin. I forced out a laugh. What people would do to get the approval of a leader, it is disgraceful.

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><p><em>I hope that this chapter wasn't too bad. I'm still having trouble with using present tense. I'm just not getting used to it. Oh, sorry for weird breaks and random changes in place and time. I use the "+ + +" that V. Roth uses, but it doesn't transfer to FF and apparently neither does extra spacing. Advice gladly taken on how to add break that's not a line break :)<em>

_Review. Comment. Criticize. The usual. _

_Thanks for spending the time to read._

_I shall try my best to update again soon..._


	6. Six

_Why, hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it? A few months...my bad. It's been a stressful few months. College applications, projects, homework, essays, all that stuff brought me to the brink of insanity. I swear, I was so close to losing my mind. Semester exams just ended, so I finally had time to write this. Oh, I also had to have my computer reformatted because of some "corrupt user file" according to the electronic guy. I lost everything, but I'm over it. _

_I'll let you all read now, it has been_ months _after all. I promise, this is no amazing chapter. Remember, all of Roth's characters are hers, along with most of the words said. Well, I hope you all enjoy this. I shall talk to you at the end._

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><p>The clock on my nightstand tells me that it's only a little after five, but I know that there's no point in trying to fall back asleep. I never could in the past and this time would be no exception, not after the nightmare. I sit up in my bed, trying to shake out the jitters. I can still hear the sound of the gunshot and the sound of her body hitting the floor with a sickening <em>thump<em>. I set my arms upon my knees and stare at the words "Fear God Alone." It's too bad that I can't, two years in Dauntless and I still can't face my fears.

I slide out of my bed, fixing the sheets, folding my blue quilt so it sits on the foot of the bed. Since I can't go back to bed, I might as well get my day started. I leave my room twenty minutes later, my hair damp from the shower. Before heading anywhere, I stop by the cafeteria, where Dauntless members are setting up for breakfast, to grab something to eat.

Chris is the only one in the control room when I enter, meaning he was on night duty. Someone has to be in the control room at all times just in case something abnormal happens. I smack Chris in the head, jolting him out of his slumber.

"Go back to your room and sleep, Chris," I tell him, "I'll take over the rest of your shift."

He just nods gratefully and stumbles out of the room. I am used to taking over the shift of those on night duty. The nightmare occurs frequently and the computers have a calming effect. With my cup of coffee, I sit down at my desk. A scrap of paper is stuck to the screen of my computer. I recognize Eric's messy scrawl. Apparently the annual Capture the Flag game is scheduled for tomorrow night. Fantastic. I know that Eric will do whatever it takes to win the game so that he can prove himself to the leaders.

X X X

I get to the trains at eight o' clock, not surprised that the majority of the transfers are already standing around me. I note that the Christina and Tris are the only two missing from the group. The sound of the train can be heard from where I stand. I look at my watch, right on time. I am standing with my toes at the edge of the tracks, just far enough away from them so the train will not take off my head as it rushes by.

I step backwards when the train arrives so some of the initiates can get on first. I watch as a few of the Candor transfers climb in, not exactly gracefully. I easily hoist myself into the car after them. I have been doing it for two years, after all. The rest of the initiates follow. I watch from my position near the door as Tris slowly jogs after the train and grabs the handle. I can practically see the gears turning in her head, wondering how she's going to pull herself in. She hasn't thought long before Al lifts her into the car. She smiles at her and an odd feeling goes through me. I turn away.

"Feeling okay there?" I hear Peter ask someone. "Or are you a little..._Stiff_?" I turn as his laughter echoes through the train car. His lackeys join in. Drew laughs silently, looking like a demented animal who has no air. Molly's laugh on the other hand is loud. She snorts, her shoulders shaking. She also looks like an animal, sounds a bit like one too.

"We are all awed by your incredible wit," Will responds. I'm liking this Erudite more and more every time he opens his mouth to say something.

"Yeah, are you sure you don't belong with the Erudite, Peter? I hear they don't object to sissies," Christina adds in. Sometimes I think she likes the sound of her own voice. I still like her a lot better than the rest of the Candor bunch. I am still standing in the doorway of the train when I speak up.

"Am I going to have to listen to your bickering all the way to the fence?" I ask them, not kindly.

Everyone chooses that moment to shut up. I turn back to look out of the train's car. Gripping the handles that are located on either side of the door, I lean out. The wind is refreshing after being in the Dauntless compound all night. I close my eyes and block out all of the voices that are coming from the initiates. I open my eyes again as we near the Amity farms.

The train pulls into an old train station and I step onto the fields of Amity. I stop at the chain-link fence. The initiates are curious as they look around the area. Mostly dead trees can be seen past the fence. On the other side, there are Dauntless members guarding the area with guns. I recognize one or two of them from my initiate class.

"Follow me," I say to the group, not wanting to dawdle. I lead the group towards the gate. "If you don't rank in the top five at the end of initiation, you will probably end up here," I tell them as I get to the gate. "Once you are a fence guard, there is some potential for advancement, but not much. You may be able to go on patrol beyond Amity's farms, but—"

"Patrols for what purpose?" asks Will.

I don't like the fact that I am interrupted, so I shrug a shoulder in response. In truth, I don't even know what they are patrolling. The Amity faction is focused on friendship and peacefulness. Why they would need to be kept under Dauntless patrol evades even my knowledge.

"I suppose you'll discover that if you find yourself among them," I tell him. I'm blunt, to say the least. "As I was saying. For the most part, those who guard the fence when they are young continue to guard the fence. If it comforts you, some of them insist that is isn't as bad as it seems."

From the corner of my eye, I see Christina whisper something into Tris' ear.

"What rank were you?" Peter asks me. Of course he would. I can see that in his eyes, he's expecting me to say a low ranking number. In his mind, working in the control room and training initiates was a lowly job, but to each his own.

I look at him steadily and say, "I was first."

"And you chose to do_ this_?" Peter asks, his eyes dark green eyes wide with surprise. "Why didn't you get a government job?"

"I didn't want one," I tell him, my voice flat. And I still don't want one, much to Max's disappointment. I enjoy working in the control room, monitoring the city's security. Some people may see it as a boring job, but computers are what I am good at. I wasn't going to work for the government in it's current state and I also wasn't going to walk around guarding a fence. The control room is the best fit.

I watch as the guards by the gate pull the doors open to let in an Amity truck. The driver stops the truck

and gets out. He is an older man wearing a hat with a beard and a smile. The people sitting in the truck bed remain there with crates of apples at their feet. From working in the control room and monitoring the different factions, I know that apple picking is an initiation process of Amity. Initiates had to work together to pick apples, helping each other hold the ladders steady, encouraging each other to help each other, and the like.

"Beatrice?" one of the boys in the back says, hoping down from the truck. The boy who walks towards Tris has curly blond hair; he hesitantly pulls her into a hug and there is an odd feeling of relief when I see her body stiffen. I turn away.

"Four!" a feminine voice calls out from the fence. I walk towards her, leaving the transfers near the Amity truck. I can still hear bits and pieces of their individual conversations.

"Hello, Simone," I say to the red-headed girl from my initiate class. I purposely leaned against the fence so I could see what was going on back near the gate. Simone moves to face me, shifting her gun so it was balanced on her shoulder.

"Hey, how are you?" she asks.

"I'm fine, just doing my job. Yourself?" I know that Simone is a chatter and I am right. She starts going off about how boring guard duty is. I take this chance to turn my attention back to the initiates where Tris is still talking her..._friend_.

"_Beatrice_?" Molly's nasally voice asks. "Is that your real name, Stiff?"

"What did you _think_ Tris was short for?" the shorter girl responds. The name Beatrice suited her as a quiet, selfless member of Abnegation, but Tris suited the snarky, sarcastic, Dauntless initiate.

"Oh, I don't know...weakling?" Molly retorts. I almost snort at her ridiculous answer.

"...a bit tiring, you know?" I hear Simone say as I turn my ears back to the conversation that I am supposed

to be part of. I smile and nod, assuming she was talking about walking the perimeter each and every day. Simone was content with my reaction and went on.

The guards have finished examining the truck and I see the blond Amity body touch Tris' shoulder before pulling himself inside the truck again. A girl in the truck is playing the banjo and everyone is all smiles. The boy waves as the trucks pull away. Two of the Dauntless guards pull the gate shut and lock it once it's closed. I have always wondered why the lock is on the outside and not the inside. It seems like they are keeping people in instead of keeping people out, but that would make no sense.

"I have to go, Simone. It was nice to see you again," I say, interrupting the girls in front of me. She smiles as I push myself off the fence and walk towards Tris.

"I am worried that you have a knack for making unwise decisions," I tell her, stopping a foot from where she stands. Tris crosses her arms, a look of defiance in her eyes.

"It was a two-minute conversation," she informs me.

"I don't think a smaller time frame makes it any less unwise," I answer, looking intently at her. I furrow my eyebrows, taking note of how bruised her eye is. Slowly raising up my hand, I touch the corner of her darkened eye. I ignore the fact that she jerks away, my hand staying in place. I tilt my head and sigh. "You know, if you could learn to attack first, you might do better." _And not be put in so much pain_, I silently add.

"Attack first?" Tris responds, a crease appearing between her eyes. "How will that help?"

"You're fast. If you can get a few good hits in before they know what's going on, you could win." I shrug, wanting to rub away the crease that appears between her eyes. I drop my hands in order to resist the urge to do so.

"I'm surprised you know that," she says quietly, "since you left halfway through my one and only fight."

"It wasn't something I wanted to watch," I tell her truthfully. A questioning look flashes in her eyes. I clear my throat. "Looks like the next train is here. Time to go, Tris."

When we get onto the train headed back to the Dauntless compound, I sit by the door, my back against frame and my feet stretched out in front of me. The memories of my own initiate trip to the farms are on mind.

_I sit in the corner of the train car, alone. Eric, the Erudite transfer who I thought was my friend is laughing __with some of the other transfers. I turn away from them, looking out of the open car door. I wince when I twist my torso. I know that there is a big purple bruise down my side, I saw it this morning when I was getting dressed. Eric had gotten a good kick or two in during our fight yesterday, but I was still able to win._

_ Who knew that so much pent up anger and bitterness would make me such a good fighter? Sullivan told me that I was a natural when he gave us a chance to practice with punching bags a few days ago. While he was telling other transfers to tuck in their elbows or to put more force into their punches, he just told me to keep up what I was doing. Eric was my first one-on-one partner and also my first win; it was his first loss._

_ I looked out of the opening in the train car, seeing fields of yellow, trees. The fresh air was a treat. The Dauntless compound was stuffy and made aware of my claustrophobia almost constantly. I like the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair, of the coolness that was offered. It is peaceful and reminds me of my home in Abnegation. _

It's not your home anymore, _I mentally chide myself, _faction before blood.

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><p><em>Ah, chapter six. What do you all think? As always, I'm open to criticisms and any new ideas. Review, comment, scold, anything. You know the deal, all you have to do is click the "review" button. I'll be trying to update as soon as possible. It's hard to think of new ideas when there are other fanfictions in Four's point of view. It's really hard, but I shan't give up. I'll talk to you next time. Hope you liked this chapter.<em>

_:)_


	7. Sept

_Hey there, stranger. It's been a while, hasn't it? Two month? Three? Anyways, it's SPRING BREAK for me...well, it's almost over, but I'll still take it. I'm sorry it's been forever and I'm sorry if this chapter is...boring. I was writing this and trying to figure how to add in more thoughts, more personality to Four. I was trying to take all you advice in and put it into this chapter, but I don't even know if I did that. You all can tell me if I did...I probably didn't. Also, I wan't in a mood to reread and edit, so there are those problems too. I hope you like this chapter though. Four still doesn't like Tris in that way. He knows she's smart and brave and he admires her, but not in the relationship way. Or that's what I tell myself._

_All respective characters and dialogue belongs to the wonderful Veronica Roth._

_And now, enjoy. _

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><p>"Four, take these to the track," Eric orders me, the usual I'm-better-than-you smirk on. "Then meet me outside the transfer dorm."<p>

He shoves a stack of boxes at me, causing me to stagger at the weight. I right myself under the weight of the paintball guns and paintballs. Eric doesn't wait for me to respond before walking away. I, in turn, make my way towards the tracks, where I drop the boxes with a loud thud. As I make my way into the tunnel towards the initiate dorms, I stretch out my arms, throwing shadows in the dim tunnel.

When Eric sees me and throws open the dormitory doors. The group of Dauntless members that were standing behind him follow him in, most of the carry flashlights. I follow the group in, lagging behind.

"Everybody up!" someone yells from out group, Eric, no doubt. I move forward as someone shines their flashlight at the back of Eric's head.

The initiates looked a bit confused and groggy as they roll out of their beds. From the corner of my eye, I see Tris sit up, narrowly missing the bars of the bed above her. I shift my gaze to her to find that her eyes are already on me. The transfers are moving about, getting dressed, rubbing their eyes, while Tris remains in her bed.

"Did you go deaf, Stiff?" Eric asks in an impatient tone. She seems to snap out of her trance right then and slides out of her bed. She goes to stand next to the Candor girl, Christina, who is wearing nothing but a shirt. I turn my attention away from the initiates.

"You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the tracks," Eric tells the group. "We're going on another field trip." He turns and leaves the room, everyone following him. They disperse; they are not part of the trip. Eric and I head towards the tracks to wait for the initiates.

The Dauntless-born initiates reach the tracts first, quickly followed by the transfers. I turn my back to face the tracks. I can faintly hear the sound of the train moving towards us.

"Time estimate?" Eric asks me.

I look down at my watch, pulling up the train schedule in my mind. It was memorized the first month I was in the Dauntless compound, unlike Eric.

"Any minute now. How long is it going to take you to memorize the train schedule?" I ask him, annoyed.

"Why should I, when I have you to remind me of it?" Eric responds. He shoves me in the shoulder. I wonder whether I could get away with pushing into him into tracks right when the train comes by. If I do, Max will finally have a reason to place me into a government position.

The light from the train can be seen now, the groan of the wheels and tracks grow louder and louder. When it passes, I get onto the train and turn back to face the entrance of the car to help the next person up. Tris is at the front of the pack. I hold my hand out to help her up. Her tiny hand clasps around my arm and I pull her in, barely using any strength. She is too skinny and light. When she's securely in the train, Tris lets go, not sparing a glance at me, and sits down near the far side of the car.

I continue to help up the rest of the transfers, knowing that the Dauntless-born are more than capable of getting onto the train by themselves. When everyone is in the car, I speak up.

"We'll be dividing into two teams to play capture the flag. Each team will have an even mix of members, Dauntless-born initiates, and transfers. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag. Then the second team will get off and do the same," I instruct them. The train car sways suddenly and I grab onto the doorway to keep my balance. "This is a Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously."

"What do we get if we win?" someone yells. I almost want to smack myself in the forehead. Some people still have not learned the ways of the Dauntless yet.

"Sounds like the kind of question someone not from Dauntless would ask," I answer. My eyebrow raises on its own accord. "You get to win, of course."

"Four and I will be your team captains," Eric interrupts. He looks towards. "Let's divide up the transfers first, shall we?" I nod, already knowing my plan. I already know Eric's plan first. His need to win tells me that he'll go for the stronger people, the one that he thinks will help his team win.

"You go first," I tell him, wanting to confirm my suspicions.

He shrugs before picking his first team member. "Edward." _Predictable_, I tell myself.

I nod and lean against the door frame that I used for stabilization earlier. I look around the car, scanning the initiates. My plan is to create the type of team that contrasts Eric's. He is after the bulkier, more powerful people. I want the leaner, quicker people on mine.

"I want the Stiff," I say sans hesitation.

Laughter fills the car and I see a faint blush in the Stiff's cheeks, even in the semi-darkness.

"Got something to prove?" asks Eric, his smirk on his face. He is referring to the fact that my old faction is Abnegation and the first person I chose for my team is a Stiff. "Or are you just picking the weak ones so that if you lose, you'll have someone to blame it on?"

"Something like that," I say with a shrug. "Your turn."

"Peter."

"Christina."

"Molly."

"Will," I choose, chewing on my thumb nail. I have a feeling that this game would be a fairly easy one.

"Al."

"Drew."

"Last one left is Myra. So she's with me," Eric states. I can tell that he is not happy. Myra is not the strongest initiate which messes up Eric's whole plan. She'll probably be stuck of flag watching duty. "Dauntless-born initiates next."

Eric is smirking at me by the time we finish choosing are teams. Internally, I am too.

"Your team can get off second," Eric says.

The team that gets off second can see where the first team is heading. "Don't do me any favors," I tell him. I smile a little at his offer. "You know I don't need them to win."

"No, I know that you'll lose no matter when you get off," Eric tells me. _Cocky ass_, I reply in my head. He takes one of the rings in his lip between his teeth. An ugly habit to me. "Take your scrawny team and get off first, then." He answers in finality.

My group stands as the train moves closer towards the ground. I continue to stand in the doorway, watching. Al, the large Candor transfer, looks towards Tris with a hopeless look and she smiles back. Looks like he doesn't want to be separated from his friends.

As the train starts to descend towards the ground, I jump. I bend my knees in order to decrease the impact of the landing. I land on my feet, like always and turn my gaze back to the train. A few of the initiates are already besides me. Tris is standing in the doorway of the train car about to jump when Peter moves behind her and shoves her in the shoulder, making her stumble. If only I can fight with him during one-on-one training. He is seriously getting on my nerves. Picking on someone weaker than you is a sign of cowardice.

Tris jumps from the train and lands on her feet, running a few steps before stopping. An accomplished smile appears on her lips.

Marlene saunters up to my side, touching my shoulder. "When your team won, where did you put the flag?" she asks me.

"Telling you wouldn't really be in the spirit of the exercise, Marlene," I tell her. My voice not exactly warm.

"Come on, Four," she says, whines really. Why is it that girls think that whining will get them everything they want? It's annoying. She grins at me flirtatiously and I brush her hand off of my arm. It was uncomfortably warm on my skin.

"Navy Pier," someone says from behind me. I turn to see Uriah, Zeke's younger brother. The two of them are noticeably related. Tall, dark skin, and dark eyes. I just look at him. "My brother was on the winning team. They kept the flag at the carousel." I am tempted to bring my palm up to my forehead, but I smile. Zeke and his big mouth.

"Let's go there, then," Will says aloud. I guess no one can think of a more original idea. Whatever. It isn't my job to think of where to hide the flag, that is all on them. I follow behind the group as the head to what used to be Lake Michigan. Nowadays, it's just a marsh, a very muddy marsh. I allow myself to enter autopilot mode for a bit, knowing the walk to the carousel was quite long, and thought back to my own game of capture the flag.

_I follow the rest of the offensive team towards the middle of the pier, pressing my paintball gun to my back. While the team was waiting to get off the train, we saw them head into one of the crumbling buildings. Our own flag is currently tied to the top of one of the poles that connected the animals to the carousel itself. Four people left to guard it, hidden from sight._

The rest of us circle around the suspected building. I see someone rounding the corner before me and I take my shot, hitting true. While the rest of the offensive group went in, I stay outside to watch the perimeter. My job is to take down any of their defensive line since I have the best shot. I hear the shots of paintball guns and surprised shouts from within. I carefully listen to what's going on inside and completely forget I am out in the open until someone sneaks up behind me.

"Stiff," Eric's haughty voice says from behind me. I turn.

Crap. _He aims his gun at me and shoots, hitting me in ribs. He shoots me twice more before returning to his team._

_My team returns, excited, flag in hand. Eric's team may have lost, but in his mind, by getting the better of me, he wins._

When we got back to the compound, I had three nasty bruises from the paintballs, one on my ribs, another on my shoulder, and the last on my neck.

I snap back when light illuminates the otherwise dark area. Marlene holds a flashlight in her hands, shining it at the road before her.

"Scared of the dark, Mar?" Uriah asks her, teasingly.

"If you want to step on broken glass, Uriah, be my guest," Marlene snaps at her fellow initiate. I chuckle quietly at their interaction. In the end, Marlene turns off the flashlight. I guess we'd all be stepping on broken glass.

We reach the Ferris wheel. It hadn't changed in the last two years, although it seems a little more rusted. My group walks down the side of the pier until we reach the carousel. The weathered and chipped horses were dull in colored. I take the flag out of my pocket.

"In ten minute, the other team will pick their location," I tell them. "I suggest you take this time to formulate a strategy. We may not be Erudite, but mental preparedness is one aspect of your Dauntless training. Arguably, it is the most important aspect." One has to be quick-witted to survive in Dauntless.

The Erudite takes the flag from my hand.

"Some people should stay here and guard, and some people should go out and scout the other team's location," he says, the first person to take charge in this situation.

"Yeah? You think?" Marlene responds as she takes the flag from Will. They're acting as if they're on separate teams. "Who put you in charge, transfer?"

"No one," Will answers. "But someone's got to do it."

What was up with this group and its bickering? I decide that they can come up with their own strategic plans so I take a few steps away from the group. I sigh and take a seat on the carousel, using one of the horse's foot as a resting place. I look up at the moon, glad to be out in the open. The compound gets a bit claustrophobic at times. I slowly relax in the open air as the initiates continue to bicker.

After a few minutes, I hear light footsteps heading away from the carousel. I turn to see Tris heading towards the Ferris wheel with a hand pressing her gun to her back. I watch as she stares up from the ground. In comparison to the rise, she looked miniscule. I continue to watch as she grabs hold of the ladder, climbs onto the first rung, and jumps to test its weight. I get up and jog over.

"Tris," I say in an almost whisper.

She looks over her shoulder at me. I can still see some of the bruises on her face from her fight with Peter.

"Yes?" she asks.

"I came to find what you think you're doing." I tell her. I look up at the Ferris wheel. It is incredibly large and high off of the ground. It is intimidating, but I'm not about to tell her so. I don't even know what she wants from the Ferris wheel. I know that I wouldn't climb it for recreational purposes.

"I'm seeking higher ground," she says. "I don't _think _I'm doing anything." This girl is getting bolder and bolder every day. If we were still in Abnegation, she would never speak to someone else like that. It is always treat people with respect, not give people attitude. I smile at her change.

"All right. I'm coming," I tell her. I have a feeling in my gut that this is probably not the best idea, but it is a smart one. Find high ground to seek out the enemy.

"I'll be fine," she tells me, not that I am doubting her.

"Undoubtedly," I answer her.

Tris slowly begins to climb up the ladder and I follow her, quickly catching up. As we climb higher and higher, my heart beats faster and faster. Why did I decide to climb up with her? I asked myself. I keep telling myself not to look down. It's not working very well.

"So tell me...," I say quietly. Even in my own ears, I sound breathless. My attempts at telling myself that this was nothing are not working. "What do you think the purpose of this exercise is? The game, I mean, not the climbing." I ask her in attempt to take my mind off of the fact that I am standing unnaturally far from the ground.

She looks down, then up again, her gaze stops at a platform that is just above us. A breeze passes by us and I tighten my grip on the bar in my hands. It feels as if the whole wheel was swaying.

_Oh, dear God_, I think to myself. _Why in the world am I climbing this high up?_

"Learning about strategy," Tris says as she continues the climb up even higher. "Teamwork, maybe."

"Teamwork," I repeat after her. I laugh as another breeze passes, causing my breath to hitch. My knuckles whiten as I tighten my grip on the bar. I am starting to panic. I try to breath in order to calm myself. It's not working well. I am going to end up falling to my death.

"Maybe not," she corrects herself. "Teamwork doesn't seem to be a Dauntless priority." She is spot on.

In the last few years, with the shift in power, Dauntless had changed. Tori had told be of the old Dauntless, where teamwork and collaboration played a big role in the faction. She told me that they had activities that forced initiates out of their comfort zone and trust others. The focus on fighting and weapon usage wasn't as great. It was when people like Eric took over, with a mindset in power and domination, that things began to change. Slowly, the teamwork and less violent aspects of Dauntless were forced out and replaced by the lessons of today's Dauntless.

"It's supposed to be a priority. It used to be." I tell her. I wish it was still a priority. To me, being fearless means a whole lot more than being able to shoot a gun or throw a knife. Being fearless doesn't mean one can beat someone to a pulp. Being fearless means being able to stand up for someone or something, ready and willing to face the repercussions. It means being selfless, intelligent, honest, peaceful, and fearless. Being Dauntless should mean having traits of all five factions, not just one, but that's not what it is. Today, it's faction before blood.

From my spot underneath her, I can see Tris' legs shaking minutely, even in the darkness. I don't think that it's the height. My fear kicked in a while ago, but Tris didn't seem to have a problem until now. The thought is forgotten as Tris begins to climb even higher. Something inside me seems to almost fall when her hand misses the next rung, but the feeling is short lived when she begins to move again.

"Now tell me...," I start to say, my voice sounding a bit shaky and raspy even to me, "what do you think learning strategy has to do with...bravery?"

I am curious to see how she thinks. We both come from Abnegation, so maybe she shares my mindset. She has already shown that she can jump off trains and buildings. She can learn to shoot a gun, but to me, that means nothing.

"It...it prepared you to act," she answers after a minute. "You learn strategy so you can use it." I'm not focused on her words. My head starting to spin. This was too high, way to high. Heights were not a good thing. Not at all. Even with the wind becoming stronger and louder, I can hear my breath, shallow and quick. No doubt that Tris can hear it too. She asks, "Are you all right, Four?"

"Are you _human_, Tris?" I manage to spit out. I clench my eyes shut before looking back at her feet. "Being this high...," I gulp for air. I can sense the difference, air up here was thinner, but then again, maybe I'm exaggerating. "It doesn't scare you at all?"

She looks to the ground and I gape, if I looked down, I know I would freak out even more than I am. I can see the glint of excitement in her eyes; the height is exhilarating to her.

A gust of wind suddenly passes and Tris' body is thrown off balance. I hear her gasp and see her tighten her grasp on the rung before her. I don't think as I react. My hand grabs her around her hip. One of my fingers find bare skin that is revealed from under her shirt. Her skin is much warmer than my hands. I squeeze gently and bring her back to balance by pushing her towards the left. I release my grip on her body.

"You okay?" I ask her quietly.

"Yes," she replies, strained. Her breathing is different from before. Maybe the prospect of falling finally gets to her, but she doesn't let her fear stop her. She's still climbing.

In seconds, she reaches the platform and sits down. I climb up after her. She immediately throws her legs over the edge while I try to get as far away from it as possible. I scoot back to the metal support and crouch in attempt to calm myself down.

"You're afraid of heights," she says. "How do you survive in the Dauntless compound?"

"I ignore my fear," I tell her. Mentally, I added the _usually._I can't really ignore my fear at the current moment though. We are at least seventy feet from the ground. "When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn't exist."

I can see the wheels turning in her head as she stares at me. After a minute, I shift, a bit uncomfortable due to the height we are at and her gaze on me.

"What?" I ask her.

"Nothing," she says, turning away.

She looks around for a second before saying, "We're not high enough." I look to her as if she's crazy.

"I'm going to climb," she tells me. She stands and grabs at a bar that is above her and pulls herself up. She seems to wince in pain as she does this and I am reminded that she fought Peter only two days ago and is probably still pretty beat up.

"For God's sake, Stiff," I breath out. This girl is crazy, but I see why she's still climbing. In our current position, an old building blocks our view of the end of the pier. More height equals more visual.

"You don't have to follow me," she tells me, still staring above her, finding the best path up. She wedges her foot in between two white bars and pushes up to grasp another bar above her. I groan.

"Yes, I do," I tell her. It is my responsibility to make sure the initiates don't do anything reckless. If an initiate was going to be leaving the Dauntless faction, it was going to be because they aren't good enough to make the top ten, not because they fell to their death during a capture the flag game.

Tris looks down again; I don't know how she stands it. Her breathing seems to stop for a few seconds. I grab a bar in each of my hands and force myself up. Climbing is easy, facing the height that we are at is not. Every muscle in my body was taut. I made sure I was paying attention to everything around me, where my feet are placed, what my next move is, and how Tris is moving. She slowly continues her trek up the Ferris wheel. When she stops, she looks through the darkness.

"See that?" she asks me, pointing towards the marsh.

I climb up behind her and look over her shoulder.

"Yeah," I said with a smile. My team of "weaklings," as Eric would probably call them, was going to win this game this year. "It's coming from the park at the end of the pier. Figures. It's surrounded by open space, but the trees provide some camouflage. Obviously not enough."

My bet is that it is all Eric's idea. Pick a spot where the enemy can be easily spotted, but is easy to protect. His team probably just followed through with the plan he had because of their fear of him. Eric's lesson through this game is to win, not strategy, not teamwork, or anything else.

"Okay," she says. Tris looks at me from over her shoulder and stares at my chin, probably wondering where my scar came from. The scar isn't from anything Dauntless related. I received it while in Abnegation. A gift from my oh-so-loving father. Her eyes snap upward. "Um, start climbing down. I'll follow you," she tells me.

I nod and begin my decent down. My long legs are beneficial in doing so. I can easily slip my foot into the crevices between bars, but it still requires a lot of effort. My hands are red and shaky, but all I can focus on is reaching solid ground. I focus, one step at a time. There is a clattering sound, metal on metal, and then a scream.

"Four!"

I look up from my spot and see Tris hanging in midair, swinging from the bar. She's trying to find someplace to put her foot, but her legs are too short to be any help. My heart is racing as quickly as my mind is. I try to ignore her distressed sounds as I search for a way to help her. My eyes land on a booth on the ground.

"Hold on!" I shout. "Just hold on, I have an idea."

I climb down as quickly as possible.

"Four!" I hear Tris yell again. Her voice reveals that she is truly scared and I move even quicker, running when I hit the ground to reach the booth.

I try to remove all the dirt and from the panel. When I can distinguish colors and words, I press the green button on the machine and I hear creaking coming from above. I hear Tris scream again and I look upwards. She is hanging on for dear life as the Ferris wheel moves. I'm surprised that the contraption still works as I watch Tris get closer and closer to the ground. She laughs and releases the bar in her hand, falling towards the ground. She hits the ground and rolls. When she stops, she doesn't move.

I jog towards her rolled up body and wrap my fingers around her wrists. Prying her hands away from her face, I check for damage. There is nothing extremely serious, just a scrape down her face.

I move my hands around one of hers, sharing the warmth that returned to my hands after I returned to the ground.

"You all right?" I ask her as I press our hands together. I can tell she is still shaking.

"Yeah."

I laugh, relieved and slightly giddy that my team has the upper hand in this game now. Tris laughs too and pushes herself to sit up. I realize that there is little space between us. My body seems to be drawn to hers. I mentally shake my head and stand, pulling Tris' small body up from the ground at the same time. The Ferris wheel is still moving, the lights that hadn't been used who knows how many years flickering dimly.

"You could have told me that the Ferris wheel still worked," Tris says. "We wouldn't have had to climb in the first place."

"I would have, if I had known," I tell her. Desperate times called for desperate measures. "Couldn't just let you hand there, so I took a risk. Come on, time to get their flag."

I pause for a second before taking her elbow, putting pressure on the inside of her elbow, gentle pressure. I feel the heat radiating from her body. I shoot her a smile and lead her back to the carousel. A few members of my team are missing, but a good number still remain. Christina is the one closest to the flag. A few of the Dauntless-born are still around, Uriah included.

"Where'd the others go?" I ask no one in particular.

I'm excited. Winning the annual capture the flag was an honor. Or it was. There was pride in the win, no matter what traditions the Dauntless held nowadays. Even Eric knew that.

"Did you guys turn the wheel?" one of the Dauntless-born asked. "What the hell are you thinking? You might as well have shouted 'Here we are! Come and get us!'" She shakes her head and I want to laugh. "If we lose again this year, the shame will be unbearable. Three years in a row?"

"The wheel doesn't matter," I tell her. "We know where they are." I say with pride.

"We?" Christina says, looking between Tris and me.

"Yes, while the rest of you were twiddling your thumbs, Tris climbed the Ferris wheel to look for the other team," I inform her. I'm glad Tris is on my team, her brain is very helpful, a quick thinker is what a Dauntless member has to be, no matter what the leaders say.

"What do we do now, then?" someone asks me, but this isn't my game. My game was two years ago. I look towards Tris and slowly everyone else does the same. It kind of ticks me off that they don't see Tris as a leader, the Stiff in her, I guess. It would most definitely surprise them if I told them what faction I came from.

"Split in half," she tells the group. "Four of us to the right side of the pier, three to the left. The other team in in the park at the end of the pier, so the group of four will charge as the group of three sneaks behind the other team to get the flag."

It is a good plan. Simple as it may be, it would be effective. I stand back and watch the group. Christina is staring a Tris with a jealous look in her eye and all the other initiates are nodding in agreement, trying to figure out who would be in which group.

In the end, Christina, Uriah, and Tris would be the three heading towards the flag and the other four would act as a decoy. Each group sets off on their respective missions and I jog after Tris' group. I didn't want to be part of the group that would end up getting hit with the paintballs; that stuff is foul. I trail behind, hearing yells from the larger group and Eric's team as they get ambushed. I am still in the trees, watching, as paintballs go flying, as Tris reaches for the flag, the conversation between Tris and Christina, and Christina reaching up to take the flag. I watch as the latter yells in triumph and my team joins in the celebration, some of them smelling like paint and fish.

I watch as Uriah claps Tris on the shoulder and the two join in the cheering. As everyone circles around Christina and the flag, Tris steps out of the circle and stand off to the side. There's something in me that doesn't like the fact that Christina is taking all the credit when it was Tris who did all the hard work.

I quietly walk towards the blonde and touch her shoulder.

"Well done," I tell her quietly. She's the one that deserves the most praise.

X X X

On our way back to the compound, Eric is pouting along with the rest of his team. My team on the other hand, is still celebrating. Tris sits with Uriah and Marlene and some other initiates. I can tell from my spot near the door that Tris is finally getting a bit of praise.

Uriah suddenly pops a paintball, getting the pink paint all over Tris and himself. Marlene laughs as Tris wipes some of the paint off her face and smears it on Uriah's face. Something makes me wish that I was part of the fun, but I act against the wish.

"Ew!" Uriah yells out in a not-so-manly way. He grabs another paintball, ready to pop it, but when he does, the paintball explodes in his face. He coughs and gags and I can't help but chuckle. He and Zeke are pretty similar in the way they act.

Zeke did the same thing to me two years ago when we won. I didn't mind much since Eric had gotten to me first with the paint.

* * *

><p><em>So, I hope this chapter wasn't a total train wreck...<em>

_As always, comments, concerns, questions, criticisms, and the like are always welcome. All you need to do is click on the button below. Please? Pretty, pretty please?_

_I'll try my best to update again soon. But we all know that my definition of _soon_ is a bit vague._


	8. Huit

_I'm alive! Surprising, isn't it? After four months. Sorry about that. I don't know, with IB testing, graduating, and handling college stuff, my life has been hectic and crazy. So, I do apologize for the long wait. I'll just let you go ahead and read. My comments will follow._

* * *

><p>Trying to get out of bed the next morning was not fun. Eric, I learned, was a very, very sore loser. He had went off about how my team had cheated and then continued to rant about how he would win next year and blah, blah, blah. After listening to Eric's irritating voice, I took some time to tally up initiate ranking points, adding today's capture the flag game into the totals. I had only gotten three or four hours of sleep<p>

On the way to the training room, I grab a piece of toast that is quickly shoved into my mouth. Eric is already standing in the center of the room with the initiates surrounding him. His posture is stiff and I can see the bitterness in his eyes even from where I stand at the back of the room. He is definitely being a sore loser. I throw a cheeky smile towards him, knowing it will just make things worse, but I can't help it.

"Tomorrow will be the last day of stage one," Eric tells the initiates. "You will resume fighting then. Today, you'll be learning how to aim. Everyone pick up three knives." Even his tone is stiff. I am definitely taking great pleasure in getting the best of Eric later on. "And pay attention while Four demonstrates the correct technique for throwing them."

I almost smirk at his words. I have always been better at target practice and Eric knew that. My guess is that he doesn't want the initiates to see his aim. Sure, he can hit the bulls eye every once in a while, but the outer rings are a more frequent outcome. I head towards one of the many targets on the wall behind Eric, grabbing a few knives on the way. None of the initiates move.

"Now!" Eric yells. I can hear the clatter to knives behind me, but I keep my focus on the target before me. Knife throwing was easy for me, but it still took a bit of focus.

Knowing that the initiates are watching and feeling the eyes of Eric on my back, I throw my knife. I don't have to look to see that the knife is sticking from the center of the target. I toss another knife, more slowly this time. Once again, it hits the target.

"Line up!" Eric yells and the initiates scatter.

I make my way back to the spot on the wall I occupied earlier and watch as Eric paces behind the initiates. Everyone has taken up a spot and most are already throwing their knives, but no one is successful in hitting the target yet.

"I think the Stiff's taken too many hits to the head!" I hear Peter say, drawing my attention towards Tris. She's practicing her stance which actually looks better than over half of the other initiates. "Hey, Stiff! Remember what a _knife _is?"

Tris is the bigger person and continues to practice her movements, this time with a knife in hand. I continue to watch the Stiff's movement and when she finally releases the knife, it hits the board. She is the first person to do so.

She turns to watch Peter throw his knife, smirking when he misses.

"Hey, Peter," she says. "Remember what a _target_ is?"

I almost laugh at that one, but Christina snorts as her own knife hits the target. At the half hour point, everyone has hit their target except all. I can see Eric getting angrier and angrier at his failed attempts to hit the target. When Al's knife clatters to the floor once again, Eric stomps up to the large Candor transfer, seething.

"How slow _are _you, Candor? Do you need glasses? Should I move the target closer to you?" he asks in a

hostile tone. Al turns redder at each comment and tosses another knife at the target, hitting the wall once again.

"What was that, initiate?" Eric says in a deathly quiet tone.

"It—it slipped," Al says, his tone unsure and shaky. This isn't good, I think to myself.

"Well, I think you should go get it," Eric informs him. He looks around the room, seeing that everyone has stopped. "Did I tell you to stop?"

Everyone returns their focus to the targets before them, knowing better than to mess with Eric, especially now. He was more than angry, he was raging like a bull.

Al's eyes go wide. "Go get it? But everyone's still throwing."

"And?"

"And I don't want to get hit."

This is why I couldn't stand Eric. He is a bully. Instead of instilling fear, Eric should have been helping Al hit the target, not making him a target. _That's not the Dauntless way anymore. Weakness doesn't belong,_ I have to remind myself. Today's Dauntless seem to only think about themselves. With leaders like Eric, it's what's being taught. I say nothing at the moment, but will step in when absolutely necessary.

"I think you can trust your fellow initiates to aim better than you," Eric says with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Go get your knife."

I watch as Al sets his jaw in defiance, surprise running through my veins. He isn't the type to object, but apparently that wasn't the case today.

"No," he says with barely any strength in his voice.

"Why not?" Eric asks. He is not happy. "Are you afraid?"

"Of getting stabbed by an airborne knife?" Al asks. "Yes, I am!" I will the kid to shut up, he is only digging himself into a deeper grave.

"Everybody stop!" Eric shouts and the room is immediately motionless and silet.

"Clear out of the ring," Eric says, his eyes still focus on Al. "All except you."

Knives drop to the floor as the initiates move inch towards the door; they all want to see what Eric has in store for Al. I can almost hear what the former was planning.

"Stand in front of the target," says Eric while confirming my thoughts. "Hey, Four," he continues, looking at me over his shoulder. "Give me a hand here, huh?"

With the knife that I've been holding, I scratch my eyebrow as I walk towards Eric. I know I have to be on point. Throwing at a spot on the wall is easy, but there is added pressure when trying to avoid hitting someone. One slip and I could kill him like that.

"You're going to stand there as he throws those knives until you learn not to flinch," Eric says.

"Is this really necessary?" I say. My body and facial feature are tense as I calculate the risk. I know that I won't hit Al based on my own skill, but I can't predict what Eric will do. I wouldn't put anything above him at this point, not after knowing him for the last couple of years. Eric stares at me, realizing that I was challenging him.

"I have the authority here, remember?" he says, barely audible. "Here, and everywhere else."

_And you never let me forget it,_ I say mentally. I can feel the blood rush to my face, but nothing in my facial expression changes. I tighten the grip that I have on my knives and face Al. Fine, if Eric wants to play games, I'll play.

"_Stop _it," someones says. I turn. Tris. What the hell is she doing? I turn the knife in my hand, running a finger along the blade. I glare at her. It was stupid of her to speak up, but something from the old Manifesto appears in my mind. The words appear before my eyes, "We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another." If we would have been part of a different generation, her act would be seen as courageous, not stupid.

"Any idiot can stand in front of a target," Tris continues. "It doesn't probe anything except that you're bullying us. Which, as I recall, is a sign of _cowardice_." She has Eric there.

"Then it should be easy for you," Eric says. "If you're willing to take his place."

I watch as the Stiff contemplates her actions. Eric would make her stand at the target no matter what she chooses. If she backs down, both her and Al will have to face the music. I think she realizes that as she walks towards the back wall, weaving through the group of initiates. Peter shoves into her, making me wish he was the one to stand before the target.

"There goes your pretty face," I hear Peter hiss out. "Oh, wait. You don't have one."

Tris' head doesn't even reach the center of the target, not that there's much of a difference. She looks at me and the knives in my hands. A rush of determination crosses over her face as she tips her chin up. I know that Eric is watching me so I have to get fairly close to Tris' little, blonde head.

"If you flinch," I tell her slowly, "Al takes your place. Understand?"

She nods.

My eyes bore into her blue ones. I easily throw the knife which quickly buries itself into the board six inches away from her cheek. I watch as she closes her eyes and minutely slumps in relief.

"You about done, Stiff?" I ask her.

"No," she says defiantly.

"Eyes open, then." I tap the center of my brow to emphasize my point.

Although she attempts to hide the shaking in her hands, I see them quiver at her sides. I will her to flinch so she realizes that one small mistake in this compound will only lead to someone else taking the punishment. I shift one of knives in my left hand into my right, flicking my arm. The knife embeds itself just above the Stiff's head. A couple of people let out the breaths that they were holding.

"Come on, Stiff," I say. "Let someone else stand there and take it."

She is being pigheaded...but brave. I would give that to her.

"Shut_ up_, Four!"

Goddamn her. I turn the final knife in my hand, pondering my next move. Maybe breaking skin would be enough warning for her to consider thinking before she acted next time. I let the knife fly from my hand. I know where it'll land; I haven't missed a target in a while. The knife hits the board, but not before nicking the tip of her ear. I watch as blood begins to trickle and as her small hand reaches to touch the injury.

She looks at me, knowing that I hit her on purpose.

"I would love to stay and see if the rest of you are as daring as she is," Eric says in a voice that sounds almost impressed, "but I think that's enough for today."

As I pull my knives from the wall, I see Eric grab Tris' shoulder.

"I should keep my eye on you," I hear him say before he exits the room.

Tris is lagging behind. I know she wants to question me about my actions. I walk towards her, not happy. Her ear was still bleeding, but barely.

"Is your—" I begin to ask.

"You did that on _purpose_!" she shouted at me.

"Yes, I did," I told her, not raising my voice. "And you should thank me for helping you." I can practically hear her teeth snap shut.

"_Thank_ you? You almost stabbed my ear, and you spent the entire time taunting me. Why should I thank you?" she continues angrily. Her snappy tone is doing nothing but irritating me.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of waiting for you to catch on!"

"Catch on? Catch on to what? That you wanted to prove to Eric how tough you are? That you're sadistic, just like he is?" I glare at her. Being compared to Eric was like being compared to a cockroach.

"I am not sadistic," I say quietly, leaning towards Tris. "If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would have already?" I'm done. I walk back of the training room and slam my knife into the wood, causing it to stick vertically.

I hear Tris scream in frustration, but the door slams closed, cutting the sound off.

"Four!" I turn at the sound of my name and see Max walking towards me.

"Max," I greet when he reaches me. "What can I do for you?"

"How are the transfers?" he asks, but I know the look that is in his eyes. It's just a way for him to transition into asking me if I want to be a leader...again.

"They're not horrible, but some of them are ridiculously stupid and don't think before they speak," I inform Max, thinking of what happened in the training room. "The Erudite transfer, Edward, is quickly on the rise. The others are getting better."

"Good, good," is Max's response. He looks at his watch. "I've got to get going. Jeanine just arrived. This isn't over," he adds before walking away. _Of course it isn't, it never is,_ I think to myself.

My stomach informs me that it's time to eat so I make my way to the cafeteria where I immediately head over to my normal table where Zeke and Lauren are already sitting, tossing pieces of lettuce at each other. What wonderful friends I have...

"You guys done flirting?" I ask the pair who look up at me in shock.

"Flirting with Zeke?" Lauren scoffs out the same time Zeke says, "She wishes."

I laugh at their antics while helping myself to two slices of pizza. Zeke and Lauren go back to tossing food at each other while I try to avoid the ricochets. My eyes wander around the cafeteria filled with rambunctious Dauntless members, all donning black clothing. Everyone here also seems to be having a good time. Most seem unaware of the small changes that have been going on in the past year.

The meetings with Jeanine started a while ago and I have always found them to be odd. It was after the second meeting when I started digging through the Dauntless system. What I found didn't reassure me in the least. There were blueprints of each faction, formulas for modified simulation serums, and other miscellaneous files that didn't settle well in my mind, but I didn't understand how each thing was related to the next. To this day, I'm still trying to connect the dots.

"Four!" I hear Zeke say, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I respond.

"I asked if you wanted to come with us to Hancock with after stage one results are up," Zeke says.

"You know he's going to say no," Lauren answers for me. "He hasn't gone up since after the first time we all went up. It's no thrill for him, remember?" I smile at her words. I wasn't about to correct her. No one aside from Tris knew of my phobia of heights and that was not about to change. The first time going off of the Hancock building was terrifying enough to last me a lifetime.

"I have to prepare some things for Visiting Day," I tell my friends after finishing my pizza. "I'll see you later." The two just impatiently wave goodbye, both thoroughly enjoying their food fight. I would not be surprised if the two of them ended up as a couple in the future.

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><p><em>Okay...so again, I'm sorry about the super long wait. I've been contemplating not continuing my version of Divergent from Four's POV since there are a billion other writers who are doing the same thing, but I promised I would. So until I stop getting reviews, PMs, and people adding this story to their alerts and favorites, I will try my best to finish this story. Which may or may not be difficult in the future as I'm heading to college in eleven days.<em>

_Any who...you know the drill. Comment, review, criticize, anything that sends an email to me will work._

_Hope you enjoyed and that this chapter didn't drag on for too long or wasn't too boring..._


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Eeep. Don't kill me. Just an author's note.

I just wanted to know if it's even worth it to continue my version of Four's POV. I mean with so many other, better, versions out there...

It's been forever and I mean forever. I didn't even bring Divergent with me to college nor did I touch it when I returned home for winter break. I kind of just stopped writing all together.

Now it's summer after finishing my first year at OSU and I've kind of gotten back into writing, but most things get scrapped before the first chapter is finished... Anyways, I'm contemplating whether or not to continue this version when I get home from vacation.

Let me know what you think because if people actually want to me to continue, I just may. I know I made a promise to finish, but with so many versions out there, I don't know what's been written and what hasn't. I mean, Four can only feel so many ways and the same scene can only be written so many times before things get boring.

Any who...comment or PM me your opinions on what I should do. Or ignore me. No feelings shall be hurt since I have been very, very much neglecting this story.

Derp.

Ta-ta.


	10. Neuf

_Hello, everyone. I'm baaaack. This chapter is kind of short...really short. I apologize for the super duper long wait. I'm going to apologize in advance, I've noticed again how bad I am at writing in the present tense. It's kind of horrific... Also, my writing style may or may not have changed in the past year and I also don't really remember much from the book, so I'm rereading it as I write._

_Anyways...try to enjoy!_

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><p>When my alarm rings the following morning, I am already lying awake in bed. I blindly smack my hand onto the night stand, effectively shutting off the obnoxious beeping. The lack of sleep is making my brain seem as if it was pounding against the inside of my skull. I rub my temples in attempt to relieve the feeling before I throw my legs over the edge of the bed. Today is the last day of one on one combat before moving on to stage two of initiation. It is still early, so I decide to grab some coffee to clear my head.<p>

"Four!" a voice called out just as I stepped out of my room and into the corridor. I turn on my heel to see Max standing before me and I groan mentally. "Any reason why you skipped on yet another meeting with the leaders? It was a crucial one."

"Max, I've told you countless times, I have no interest in working as a Dauntless leader," I say, trying to keep my exasperation in check. "I like my position in the control room and I'm even content with training the transfers."

"I still don't understand why you refuse," Max says, his voice unbelieving. He has never stopped with his attempts to convince me to join him and the other leaders, but I know it is not the job for me. Not in the current state of the Dauntless faction. "How are the transfers anyways? Eric says that it'll be a miracle if one or two of them will make the top ten."

"I think we'll be surprised," I tell him. "Most of them are improving quickly. I actually have to get going. Last day of fighting; I have to get the final pairings together."

When I return to the training room with a fresh piece of chalk, the initiates are stumbling in. I stand in front of the ever present chalkboard and finish writing the pairings. I had reached Tris' name when my chalk broke. She is paired with Molly today, a strong fighter, but not too quick on her feet. She fights with brute strength and nothing else. If Tris remembers what I told her about attacking first, with her size and speed, she may be able to beat Molly if her head is in the game.

I am quite bored as I watch the fights. The first pair I set together was Will and Myra, the latter is the weakest of the group. It is no surprise to me that Will seems hesitant in his actions, probably not wanting to inflict damage on his weak opponent. I yawn and remember that I didn't have the time to get my cup of coffee. Will winces as he knocks Myra to the floor; he is compassionate and I am not surprised when he offers Myra a hand and pulls her to her feet.

The next pair is Christina and Al. Both have potential, but Al is too afraid hurt someone. He was definitely not cut out for Dauntless. It was almost inevitable that he would become factionless. He doesn't put up a fight and after a few hits from Christina to the face, falling to the ground and staying there. Eric is standing on the opposite wall, shaking his head. If it were possible, he would kick Al out of the faction before he could say his own name.

Edward and Peter's fight is more interesting, since both were extremely able fighters. There has always been a clear distinction between their fighting styles. Edward's movements are more calculated and more precise. The Candor transfer is smarter with his motions and obviously quicker than his opponent. Peter was a good fighter, but like Molly, he relies more on strength, but he put more thought into the fight than Molly ever had.

The final pair is between Tris and Molly. I watch as the former enters the arena. Something in her had changed, she seems more confident, more deadly. The change intrigues me. I stand up a little straighter, my attention drawn into the arena. Molly stands before her, a smirk on her face.

"Was that a birthmark I saw on your left butt cheek?" Molly says with a snarl. "God, you're pale, Stiff."

Tris' resolve hardens and I am left to wonder what had happened between the two. I return my gaze onto the pair in the middle. Molly makes the first move, as always. I smile to myself as Tris avoids the attack only to punch Molly in the stomach. As Tris continues to dodge her advances, Molly becomes more and more frustrated, the groan she lets out sounds like an animal. Mentally, I hope that Tris notices that while protecting her face, Molly fails to protect to abdomen. She does and attacks. When Molly is on the ground, Tris continues her assaults, her face screaming anger. She doesn't stop. For some reason, the idea scares me. Tris has changed, but I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. The look in her eyes is feral.

I step into the arena and clasp my hands over her arms, pulling her away from a bloody Molly.

"You won," I mutter into her ear. "Stop."

She wipes the sweat from her brow as I stare at her. I am alarmed at the sudden change in her today, like she's finally found herself. I continue to look at her and have the urge to see how far she can be pushed.

"I think you should leave," I tell her. "Take a walk."

"I'm fine," she says. "I'm fine now," she repeats, like she's reassuring herself.

Eric is watching intently, a predatory look on his face as his eyes follow Tris out of the training room. I ignore the spark that urges me to protect Tris from Eric's eyes and head to the control room. Visiting Day is tomorrow and there were still some things that needed to be done.

Tossing myself into my chair, I start with the electronic sign in program. Each visitor would have to sign in before entering the Dauntless compound. Max wanted to have records of everyone that came tomorrow. It would be a quick process, only requiring visitors to sign their name and give their fingerprints. The leaders were acting oddly, this was the first time they have been so...on edge about tomorrow.

After I'm done in the control room, I head to the cafeteria for dinner. The room is buzzing with energy. Even though Visiting Day seemed to be for the initiates, it wasn't. Dauntless members also took the chance to see their own families. Tomorrow never meant anything for me. Even as an initiate, I knew my father would never visit. I was a disgrace to him. To me, Visiting Day is just any other day in the Dauntless compound.

After three slices of pizza and constant reminders of families, I head back to my room to grab a shower. I feel like I'm about to crash at any second. My head has been constantly pounding since this morning. I stare at the ceiling, like I did more often than not, and slowly drift off to sleep.

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><p><em>I hope you kind of enjoyed it. Read, review, comment.<em>

_I also wanted to thank everyone who has stuck with Four since the beginning and to my new followers._

_See you next time!_


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